Maa-nulth First Nations
Member Bands
Huu-ay-aht First Nations
Location
: Barkley Sound near Bamfield, on the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island. Main community is on Anacla Indian Reserve #12. (13 reserves on 1,077 hectares.)
Number of Band Members
: 623 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence June 2007, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
Final Agreement Ratification Vote: The Huu-ay-aht First Nations voted to accept the Maa-nulth Final Agreement on July 28, 2007. Of the 303 ballots cast, a resounding 90 per cent, or 272 votes, were in favour of the treaty.
Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k:tles7et'h' First Nations (formerly Kyuquot)
Location
: Kyuquot Sound, on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island. Main community is on Houpsitas Indian Reserve #6. (26 reserves on 376.9 hectares.)
Number of Band Members
: 498 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence June 2007, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
Toquaht Nation
Location
: Main community is on Macoah Indian Reserve #1, on Toquart Bay on the north side of Barkley Sound, on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. (Seven reserves on 194.7 hectares.)
Number of Band Members
: 124 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence June 2007, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
Uchucklesaht Tribe
Location
: On Uchucklesit Inlet and Henderson Lake on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Main community is on Elhlatesse Indian Reserve #2. (Two reserves on 232.7 hectares.)
Number of Band Members
: 189 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence June 2007, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
Ucluelet First Nation
Location
: Across from the District of Ucluelet, Effingham Inlet and Nahmint River valley on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Main community is on Ittatsoo Indian Reserve #1. (10 reserves on 202.5 hectares.)
Number of Band Members
: 608 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence June 2007, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
Background
Negotiating status
: With federal ratification complete, negotiations with the Maa-nulth First Nations now move into the sixth and final stage of the B.C. Treaty Commission process — implementation. No Effective Date has yet been agreed to for the treaty.
Negotiating affiliation
: Negotiating independently with Canada and British Columbia on behalf of the Huu-ay-aht, Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/ Che:k'tles7et'h', Toquaht, Uchucklesaht and Ucluelet First Nations. Affiliated with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) and, until recently, a part of the Nuu-chah-nulth treaty table which included 12 of the 14 First Nations that comprise the NTC. The other seven NTC First Nations at the Nuu-chah-nulth treaty table are negotiating at a different pace. Two other NTC members are negotiating treaties at other treaty tables.
Location
: Maa-nulth First Nations are located on the west coast of Vancouver Island surrounding Barkley Sound and Kyuquot Sound.
Total band members
: 2,042 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence June 2007, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
Negotiations
On June 18, the federal government gave royal assent to the Maa-nulth First Nations treaty. This was the last step in what has been a long journey towards a final agreement for the five First Nations negotiating as part of the Maa-nulth treaty: the Uchucklesaht Tribe, Ucluelet First Nation, Ka:'yu:'k't'h'-Che:k:tles7et'h' First Nations, Huu ay aht First Nations and the Toquaht Nation.
This is the first modern-day treaty to be concluded on Vancouver Island, home to more than 50 First Nations.
The Maa-nulth First Nations' Final Agreement was initialled on December 9, 2006, and subsequently ratified by Maa-nulth First Nations members in the summer and fall of 2007. Provincial ratification legislation was introduced in the Legislative Assembly on November 21, and received Royal Assent on November 29.
The agreement includes a land package that consists of approximately 24,498 hectares, including 22,342 hectares of former provincial Crown land, 2,064 hectares of former Indian reserve land and 92 hectares of private land purchased from willing sellers. This is the third Final Agreement initialled under the BC treaty process and the first initialled on Vancouver Island.
When the treaty comes into effect, Maa-nulth will own their land in fee simple and there will be no more Indian reserves.
The final agreement sets out law-making authorities that Maa-nulth may exercise on their lands. It also allows each Maa-nulth First Nation to enter into land use planning protocols with local governments to coordinate and harmonize land use planning processes and land use decisions.
The Maa-nulth First Nations entered the treaty process in January 1994 as part of the NTC treaty table and are now in Stage 6 of the treaty process — Implementation. No Effective Date has yet been agreed to for the treaty.
Chief negotiators for the NTC, British Columbia and Canada initialled a draft Agreement in Principle (AIP) on March 10, 2001. Each of the 12 First Nations undertook a community consultation and approval process. Six First Nations, representing approximately one-third of the total population, approved the AIP and the remaining six First Nations did not approve. Five of the six First Nations that approved the AIP joined to form the Maa-nulth First Nations.
The Maa-nulth First Nations approached British Columbia and Canada about negotiating a Final Agreement based on the draft 2001 NTC AIP, which ultimately led to the negotiation of the current Maa-nulth AIP.
Progress was made at the Maa-nulth treaty table, and negotiators reached a tentative deal on a Final Agreement in November 2006. After initialling the Final Agreement, the Maa-nulth First Nations took the agreement back to their respective communities for review.
Each Maa-nulth First Nation also drafted its own Constitution. The Constitution sets out how the First Nations govern themselves under treaty and comes into effect when the treaty comes into effect. The Maa-nulth Treaty requires that each First Nation approve its own Constitution before a vote is held on the treaty.
In October 2007, the ratification process was also completed and all five First Nations voted in favour of accepting the Final Agreement. Of those who voted, close to 80 per cent were in favour of the treaty.
Provincial legislation to ratify the agreement was introduced to the Legislative Assembly on November 21; it received Royal Assent on November 29.
The Maa-nulth Final Agreement is the first modern-day treaty for Vancouver Island and the second under the BCTC process.
Final Agreement
Land Transfer Memorandums of Understanding
Fact Sheets
Brochure
Maa-nulth Final Agreement Side Agreements
Related Links
Agreement-in-Principle
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Final Agreements
Principle
